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About Me...
~self-taught knitter
~living in Montreal, Qc ~single parent ~loving my kids ~unknitting daily Rings & Things
Credits...
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August 18, 2008That's all folks.There's no good way to say this... well, maybe the classic: it's not you, it's me!? lol!  I will still be around the blog world, just need to put my energy on what is really important to me.  Thanks for the friendships, they got me through a lot of events along the years. hugs, ~Jo~ Posted by ~Jo~ at 10:16 AM August 08, 20082008 Summer Games Let the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games begin! I am home alone watching the Opening Ceremony and not knitting a single stitch. LOL! I did end up signing up for the Ravelympics (knitting something challenging during the Olympics) but I only ordered the yarn online yesterday. So I'm hoping to start my project on monday. During the winter 2006 Knitting Olympics, I knitted two sweaters for my kids. In Quebec, the Olympics are one of the only moments where everyone will say they are proud to be Canadian! I am proud of my country and not just during sport events and I was clapping all by myself when the Canadian athletes entered the Beijing Stadium. So I'm a dork, it was pride to see all these athletes living their dream. How many of us can say that we achieved a goal we've set for ourselves.  So what's my project to knit for the next 16 days? Fair isle socks!!! Yay! I am very excited about this and I think it was just the push I needed to finally try knitting two color socks. I can't even swatch since my yarn isn't here but that's ok, I still have two projects to keep me busy until then. The February lady sweater and Zoe's monkey do, monkey see socks. :) I really need to do a clean up in the yarn I have, I keep thinking I have more than I actually do. That doesn't mean I don't have enough to keep me busy for many more months either. LOL!  The school countdown begins, less than 3 weeks before they go back. We are almost ready and the kids are looking forward to spending a year with their new teachers. Lucas will have the same 2nd grade teacher his sister had and Zoe will have a male teacher for 4th grade. Zoe's class will be a split two-levels class, half the students will be learning 3rd grade and the other 4rth grade. I am not worried at all, the teacher has taught such a class before and I really like him, he is such a low key, no stress teacher. I can only expect a good year of learning to come out of this. :) Posted by ~Jo~ at 11:26 AM | Comments (3) August 03, 2008How many projects?As yet another startitist attack got over me, I started two new projects.  This is the Morning Surf scarf, it's the cover pattern from the last Spin-Off issue. I had dreams of knitting this pattern with my own handspun yarn but haven't spun in a month and well, the pattern kept calling me. I am using Fleece Artist basic merino sock, their yardage isn't enough for knitting socks (for me) but I still love the yarn, so a scarf it is. It seems that we are so busy with activities (currently only mondays are free) that spinning just isn't in the cards but I know I'll get back to it, soon. I really miss spinning and I have all those sample fibers to spin up. 
 This is the second project, new socks for Zoe. At first I was going to start socks for Lucas but luckily he is patient. Ever since I bought Sweet Paprika yarns from the Fringe Bazaar, I've been eager to knit with it. This yarn is just SO soft, like buttery soft, it has the same feeling as Cabin Cove yarn if you ever had the chance to knit with it but it's superwash. The pattern I am working on is a modified Monkey totally inspired by Neophyte Knitter's tragic lost sock. I have knitted Monkey socks once but I didn't enjoy the stitch pattern. Now this new version of no purling is really nice, I'm tempted to knit them for myself in a solid colorway too. I have been interested in solid colored socks all of a sudden. Currently I only have two colors, a bright cherry red and a steel grey, both from Regia. Sadly, with my 1st year in Summer Of Socks, it seems that I have lost the sock mojo. I still haven't finished a pair since the knit-along started last month. I think socks are to me just a tag along project that I can work on when the kids are doing sports and stuff. Now that summer is here, I have more time to knit projects that require a bit more attention. I don't know... There is hope though, with Twist and Knotions coming out. Have you noticed how many new sock patterns are all about twisted stitches?  August is already here, man this is when the summer vacations go downhill. What I mean is that those last few weeks will fly by too quickly, like each year. There are still great projects for us up in the air and swimming lessons are now over. Which means no more 90 minutes sitting by the pool! I am amazed at how much the kids progressed in their swimming skills in 4 weeks. Just wished we had more time in the fall for them to swim again. Too many sports not enough hours, it's that school thing that keeps getting in the way. LOL!  Posted by ~Jo~ at 12:29 PM | Comments (3) July 21, 2008What knitting? Recently we went to the Jean-Talon market, I find this market a bit mystical. Everyone knows about it and everyone wants to shop there, yet, once I'm there I'm not all that amazed. We usually go only once a year because it is way too far to just go at a drop of a hat. The 'ambiance' is great but I hate having the 'shop' from one stand to the next to see who has the best prices. There is quite a difference in pricing from one place to the other, which is why you have to walk the whole thing to get the best prices. The experience is still fun but it made me appreciate way more the local market we have. There's only one fresh produce place and they have the best prices. lol!  So after the market fun, we walk to Jarry Park and had a little impromptu picnic. We had bread, soft cheese and 'paté' to munch on, a great variety of fruits and veggies and we spent a great time by the 'lake' in that park. I love discovering new parks with the kids, they each have a different feel to them. The kids love nature, so it is easy to walk with them in a tree filled place. We are actually planning to visit a new park soon, just to have a sense of 'vacation'. lol!  Meet my new project, the diagonal shell stitch afghan! It took quite some patience before getting to what the picture is showing. At first I was doing another diagonal pattern that involved a single crochet stitch but even after three hook changes I was still getting a stiff fabric. Lucas said that he didn't want to sleep with a stiff blanket, sure enough, I had to change pattern. Once I found the shell stitch which uses double crochet stitch it's been smooth sailing ever since. I now have great admiration for people who can crochet afghan after afghan. This is quite an undertaking but boy is it fun, also quite quick and I'm not used to crochet at all. In the picture, the 1st three stripes on the bottom are the equivalent of half the width's size that the blanket will be. This will have to be a home project as soon enough it will be to big to bring along. I am SO proud of myself though, I am making my son a blanket and that was one of my dream projects since forever. Zoe wants a blanket made out of small single crochet squares. Now that's going to be a 'forever' project, the squares are less than 4inch wide. Oy! Perhaps I can find another diagonal patter she'd like, teehee! Posted by ~Jo~ at 07:59 PM | Comments (4) July 13, 2008Summer time I finally finished a project, well half a project. Finally I didn't finish anything really, now did I? Knitting one sock still feels like an accomplishment though. The yarn is Trekking XXL in color 100, I have liked this color forever and finally got around to buying a ball. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if I bought another in the same color, it just SO lovely. These socks will NOT match but that's not the reason why I love it so. LOL! As an adult how often do you wear socks that don't match? I remember growing up having a collection of Keds shoes and wearing mismatched shoes during the summer. Oh and I thought I was so cool doing so too! With these socks, I tried Lucy Neatby's tip for the heel. Instead of doing a slip 1, knit 1 row and then a purl one, you knit a row and then slip 1, purl 1 on the next. It goes much more with the purling flow to do so. Also I tried out the knit grafting, it's almost mindless, which kitchener never was to me.  Another new project, which is hugely influenced by Ravelry, yet again, is the adult sized Elizabeth Zimmermann february baby sweater aka february lady sweater. The sweater is not my style but I really wanted to knit it so I'm knitting it for someone else, sneaky no!? This could easily be a 1 to 2 weeks knitting worth sweater, very easy and quick to knit, especially on US9/5,5mm needles. See I do still knit, actually I haven't spun in the last two weeks. Posted by ~Jo~ at 09:37 AM | Comments (6) |
